All We Know About Francesca Kirby biography, Career, Family, Networth

Francesca Kirby, born 29 June 1993, is an English professional footballer. She plays forward for Chelsea and England. After starting her career at Reading, she moved to Chelsea in July 2015. Kirby was awarded her first senior cap for England in August 2014. She represented England at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, in Canada, and the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, in France.

Kirby received the PFA Women’s Players’ Player and Football Writers’ Women’s Footballer awards in April 2018. She was ranked 10th on the 2021 Ballon d’Or shortlist. She also ranked 7th in The Guardian’s Top 10 Female Footballers Worldwide 2021.

She is Chelsea’s all-time leading scorer as of December 2020

Profiling Francesca Kirby

Early life

Kirby was born in Reading and raised with her parents Denise, Steve and Jamie. She started playing football when she was a little girl after watching her older brother play. She played wherever she could, at school, on the streets, and in her front yard. Denise, Fran’s mother, wrote in a birthday note that Fran would one day play in the World Cup. She was her greatest supporter. Fran was 14 when her mother suddenly died from a brain hemorhage. She was diagnosed with severe depression two years later.

Kirby was educated at Caversham Park Primary School, Chiltern Edge, Sonning Common and played against boys at Chiltern Edge. She joined Reading’s academy at age 7 and made her senior debut when she was 16.

Club careers

Reading, 2012-15

Kirby, who was seven years old, joined Reading her hometown team and worked her way up through the youth teams. At sixteen, she made her debut in the first team. She then quit football after a bout of depression. This was due to the loss of her mother. Kirby returned to the club in 2012, and was the FA Women’s Premier League Southern Division’s top goal scorer in the 2012-13 season with 32 goals in 21 games.

Kirby was promoted to the Women’s Super League 2 in 2014 and helped the team reach third place with 24 goals from 16 games. Kirby finished the season as league’s top goal scorer, scoring four goals against London Bees and hat-tricks against Durham Rovers Belles, Watford, and Doncaster Rovers Belles. She was the club’s first female professional player, shortly after that. Kirby was awarded the 2014 FA Women’s Awards as the inaugural WSL2 Players’ player of the year.

Kirby’s goalscoring streak continued into the 2015 WSL2 season. She scored 11 goals in five league games for Reading, including all four against Yeovil Town, and five against London Bees. After the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, Reading received an undisclosed transfer fee. She completed her move in July 2015. Although it was claimed that the fee was between PS40,000-PS60,000, this was not the case. Kirby wasn’t aware of the amount.

Chelsea, 2015

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Kirby was a cup-tied observer at Chelsea’s 1-0 victory over Notts County in the 2015 FA Women’s Cup Final. It was Chelsea’s first major trophy. She scored twice in Chelsea’s October 2015 win over Sunderland, which earned the club its first FA WSL title. It was a league and cup double. In the same month Kirby scored Chelsea’s first ever UEFA Women’s Champions League Goal in a 1-0 victory over Glasgow City.

Kirby at a 2019-20 FA Women’s League Cup Match, November 2019.

Kirby’s success continued into the 2016 FA WSL season. She secured Chelsea’s return at Wembley Stadium in April by scoring an extra-time win against Manchester City during the FA Women’s Cup semifinal. She scored both goals in Chelsea’s win over Arsenal’s WSL 2-0.

Kirby received the PFA Women’s Players’ Player and Football Writers’ Women’s Footballer Awards for 2017-18 on 22 April 2018.

Chelsea announced in February 2020 that Kirby had been diagnosed with pericarditis. She was out of the team from November 2019 to this day. Despite being told by cardiologists she might never play again, Kirby overcame the infection and played 70 minutes in Chelsea’s FA Community Shield victory against Manchester City on 29th August 2020. Kirby’s 2 goals against Benfica in UEFA Women’s Champions League on 9/12 2020 saw her surpass Eniola Aluko to become Chelsea’s all time goal scorer. These were her 69th- and 70th goals, respectively, five years after she signed.

Observers voted Kirby the best performer for Chelsea in their 2020-21 double-winning campaign. FWA’s 2021 Women’s Footballer of Year award was awarded to her. Kirby scored the goal against Arsenal in the delayed 2020-21 FA Cup Final on 5 December. This helped Kirby’s team win the trophy and the domestic quadruple for the 2020-21 season. It was the first English women’s club to do this feat.

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International career

Kirby 2019

Kirby was an England under-23 player in the beginning of her career. In June 2014, she was the WSL 2’s first player to be called up to senior squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine and Belarus. Although she was on the substitutes bench against Belarus, she did not appear. In August 2014, she made her international senior debut against Sweden, scoring the second goal in a friendly victory at Victoria Park, Hartlepool.

Kirby was named by Mark Sampson, England’s manager, in his final squad to the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada. Sampson called her “mini Messi” after she scored in England’s win over Mexico, a 2-1 victory. Although Kirby was disappointed that she had to withdraw due to injury in the quarter-finals, England’s third-place finish gave her a positive impression of the tournament. She said it was “a fantastic experience” and something she will never forget.

Sampson kept Kirby with the national team in the UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 qualification campaign. She scored twice in England’s 8-1 win in Estonia on 21 September 2015. Kirby was back in England’s squad for the UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 in The Netherlands after “12 months of hell” due to ankle and knee injuries. Jodie Taylor scored England’s first goal in the 6-0 defeat of Scotland’s second striker Kirby. Kirby’s smart dummy allowed Jodie Taylor to pass through. England reached the quarter-finals thanks to a 2-0 victory over Spain by Kirby and Taylor. Kirby regretted England’s defeat by Spain 3-0 in the semi-final. We are deeply disappointed.”

Kirby scored in England’s friendly win against Brazil at Meadow Lane on 6 October 2018. Post-match interviews, Phil Neville, England coach, exclaimed that Kirby was superior to Marta, six-time World Player of Year Marta. “I’d take no 10 over Brazil’s 10, that’s for certain.”

Kirby was part of the England squad that won the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 in June 2022.